WideEyed Escape
by Silverwinged Blackbird
Summary: AU-Follow me as I take you to the Moulin Rouge, in a place where the entertainer Trinity is looking for answers, and Morpheus knows the questions...a romance for Valentine's Day-TrinxNeo
1. Teaser

**A/N: So, welcome to my first endeavor into the realm of Matrix fandom. This is just a short for Valentine's Day; oddly enough, my inspiration came from a Snapple bottle cap. Funny how these things work out…**

**I hate asking for reviews, so even though this is the part where I'm supposed to, I only ask this instead: If/when you DO review, I appreciate constructive criticism, but please, no flames. Thank you, and please enjoy…**

Wide-Eyed Escape

By Ragdolli

_For as long as I have ever been able to remember, it was always better for my family to be benefited than for me to smile. Yet somehow, I still found those hidden grins in getting into trouble-which certainly was the worst way to help my family._

_I used to go walking in the village below our fort, wearing rags to match the filthy peasants I met along the way. It was there that I found my escape (or really, it took me away), and through this my final reason to smile._

_But I find myself jumping ahead of myself; forgive me. I suppose it started years ago, when the gypsy caravan came to the village of Lyon-my home._

In my family there was one rule: you behaved, or you were beaten…or so my Grandfather said. He had been a military general in his prime, now my father carried on the tradition. Between the two of them, there was no acceptance of anything but submission. My mother, however, taught me the true variations of the Household Rules. Never get caught. This was the mantra by which I lived. I knew all of the military codes by heart, and so it was in this way I came upon that first letter.

Many followed after it, leading up to the letter in which I was given away to the mysterious correspondent. Obedience buys you nothing in this life, rebellion got me everywhere. But again, I find myself skipping on a tangent. I should get back to why I left.

A week after I was promised to Monsieur Smithson, I was informed of the arrangement. The conversation went something like this:

My father entered my chambers in the drafty old stone fort without making his presence known, and scurried to hide away my papers (I'll explain those soon). "Ma fille, I have wonderful news!"

I gulped down air from my recent scare and eyed the sparkle in his eye with suspicion. "Yes?"

"You are betrothed, and tomorrow he shall arrive! Bon soir, ma fille!"

Disgusting. My own father could not even be bothered to give me the name of the foul man I was to marry against my will-which is where my papers tie in. Have you ever felt that there is something wrong with the world? Well, I suppose you must have felt this to be reading this account, but I continue. I had heard of a man by the name of Morpheus, who ran a rather infamous cabaret in the Moulin Rouge in Paris. He took in many people to work for him, and he seemed to hold the answer to my questions. I knew I would search him out, if he could give me answers I would do almost anything. It was in this way that I found myself writing the legendary Morpheus a letter when my father decided to make an appearance.

It's comical how fate works. One moment fate finds us betrothed to a general we have never met, and the next it finds Morpheus and his troupe locked in the fort's jail cell for prostitution. Sometimes, fate just makes things work out in ways we never imagined. And seeing this, I snuck down to see Morpheus in the dead of the night.

"I can get you out," my sound carried through the empty dungeon corridor.

"I know," his smile was both sly and innocent, and I knew at that moment I would do whatever he asked.

**A/N: So, this is what I suppose could be called the "Teaser". I will post the rest of the story on Valentine's Day, since that WAS the point of writing it in the first place. There will be romance, and hopefully everyone as in character as possible in the AU setting (tell me if they seem too OOC). I would like to point out that THIS WILL NOT FOLLOW THE MOVIES! So don't expect that plot. I hope you tune back in, and until then, swift travels. .**


	2. The Caravans

**A/N: Well, happy Valentine's Day everybody! I hope you enjoy the continuation of WEI. Please tell me what you think! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in the Matrix movies, I'm only borrowing them…**

Wide-Eyed Innocence

_By Ragdolli_

_How I made my place_

I think that I have always found the world to be like the circus I once saw when it came to Lyon. My father was away on an expedition to the Holy Land, and so my mother and I snuck out of the fort as peasants to go and see the performers. Though I couldn't have been more than five or six at the time, the swirling colors of the caravans mesmerized me. I felt as if I saw everything with warped senses- as if nothing was quite real; that was the first time I could ever give voice to the way I felt. At the circus in disguise, clutching my mother's hand, I felt as if Lady Adrianne did not exist…as if I could just fade out of the circus's suspended, colorful reality and wake up in my bed back in the fort.

Those feelings were intensified working in Morpheus's caravans. He made me feel as if Adrianne the general's daughter no longer existed- as if I could be whomever I wanted. As we traveled on towards Paris and what would be my new life, the swirling colors of the shows we did in towns along the way were magical.

It turned out that I had not been the first or last person to write to Morpheus for answers. Every time we received questions, Morpheus would direct our troupe in the direction of the village the letter was from. We would watch the visitors, and what was disguised as a brothel turned out to be Morpheus's private office. There he met with the villagers, and set someone to follow them…"observing", as he called it (The villagers never knew they were being watched). Yet I'm jumping ahead of myself again-let me back up a bit.

Morpheus was selective with whom he took; I was one of the two lucky ones. When I had first arrived in Morpheus's caravan, I was taught to tumble and walk a wire, taught to sign to the others using my hands, how to live outside and cook on an open flame, but most importantly how to heal.

As I stretched on the mat before practice, I was approached by one of Morpheus's special officer. "You learn fast," Looking up at her, she seemed much bigger than she probably was. I could only think she was trying to intimidate me, but even though I had never seen her crack a smile, it was useless: I wasn't afraid of anything.

"I make an effort," I sent her a stare as calculating as her own, and then went back to stretching.

The officer emitted a sound that might have been a laugh, except I was positive Morpheus's special service wasn't allowed to show emotion. "I'm Switch. I was your spy before you joined, and I've been watching you practice…you know, you aren't that bad."

"Really." I could feel my adulterous ears perking up at her praise. I knew from what the other dancers had told me that Switch was one of Morpheus's "crème de la crème", so to speak: one of his elite members of his personal entourage, which was above the special service. She knew what she was talking about, and for me to be good meant that I was actually _good_.

"Ever considered joining the entourage?" Now _that_ was unexpected. I had been traveling with the caravan for two weeks; I had preformed in hundreds of shows and almost completed my healer's apprenticeship. Yet through all of that I still had no idea how the caravan ran, or what the entourage did. To say my world had gone from a jail to a mystery would have been an understatement.

"No…but I'm certainly open to the idea," I stood up to begin cardio training when Switched swept one albino eye up and down my form (I hate it when people do that), and nodded to someone who must have been standing behind me. It was scary how easily Morpheus's officers could move about without anyone noticing. I wondered briefly where else they had been watching me before beginning my meditation.

"Be at weapons practice tomorrow morning, just before dawn. We'll see what you can do." Switch then decided to walk away, leaving me with nothing more than a cryptic conversation.

Needless to say, that was the end of any concentration I had that day.

The thing about comrades is that you have to be able to relax when you are around people. Showing emotion has never been something I'm good at. Even so, that didn't stop me from squeaking at my wake-up call. "Apoc! She's new!"

I shook icy water out of my now-drenched face and stamped up into the faces of Switch and a man from Morpheus's crew. "Adrianne, this is Apoc. He's Morpheus's personal bodyguard. He'll be your partner this morning." Introductions over, Switch put a sword (I recognized it as a small sword like I'd been training with back home) and headed over behind one of the wagons, Apoc at her side. I scowled at their retreating backs and sat up in my bedroll, feeling around for my britches.

I grumbled as I headed to the mats. Taking position across from Apoc, I found myself on my back before I had time to think. The sky was an interesting color from this angle: blue. Well, so it wasn't _that_ odd…but even so, my back was already starting to hurt, and I could see this being the beginning of a very long morning.

**A/N: This story is dedicated to Mystic Kyra, because she reviewed, and liked it. Thanks so much! I'm sorry I wasn't able to get the whole thing up for Valentine's, but it will be up by this Friday.**

**Raven**


	3. ceremonies

**A/N: yeah…this has been a while, but what can I say? Sometimes life is a bitch. This story is dedicated to Mystic Kyra and Kirsten, because they reviewed and supported this . **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in the Matrix movies; I'm only borrowing them…**

Wide-Eyed Escape

_By Ragdolli_

_That First Year_

Life takes funny turns sometimes. I'd always thought that turn would come when I was bound and gagged and taken away; when my father decided to marry me off. What I got, I decided, was much better. I was learning, and learning quickly- everything from healing to tumbling to self defense to assassination.

I was deadly, dangerous, and finally coming in to my own. That was when I found myself joining the entourage. I sat in my wagon with Switch, my skirts up around my knees as she painted signs on my feet with henna; red and blue, the colors intertwining like the hot and cold of my nerves.

"…just simply remember what this means. You're part of a family now-you have sisters, brothers, and a father. A real one, not the piece of horse manure you left behind."

I grinned. Sisters? Definitely. If anyone knew just who to insult, it was Switch. "Switch, how did you choose your name?" I made sure to keep my voice without emotion. If there was one thing I had learned, emotion was too valuable to dispense.

Switch seemed to have been expecting the question. "My marksmanship. I could switch cartridges…never mind. I could switch weapons very quickly, just like I had switched homes."

"Oh." Something wasn't right there, and I knew Switch would eventually tell me, so I kept myself composed-though my curiosity didn't leave. There were places I wasn't allowed to go-certain wagons I wasn't allowed to enter. The rest of the entourage was, so I guessed I would have to pass some test, and then I would be allowed in too.

"Come forth, what thine eye's hold bright. Leave behind your self and join as one with us."

Morpheus's voice filled the caravan's circle, and I realized in my musings Switch had left and gone to the fireside. I stepped with my newly trained, measured stride, each step one more towards a new life. Reaching Morpheus, I knelt on the ground before the fire and faced to cups; one filled with a blue liquid and one filled with a red. The symbols on the cups matched the symbols on my feet- everything was themed flawlessly in harmony.

"There are two brews. In one, the recipe for a gypsy tumbler, who will remember nothing of skills once taught. In the other, the birth of a personal guard and assistant to Morpheus, leader of this caravan. You, the past Adrienne of Lyon, must choose your door to open."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I had never had any doubts about becoming Morpheus's personal guard, yet something held me back. There was some piece of truth there- something I needed to see. I looked at the cups and held the blood-red liquid to my lips. It was…horrible; the taste a mix between marrow and iron, I rushing sensation filled me. It took everything I had not to spit the mouthful out onto Morpheus's feet. Calming my stomach, I took Morpheus's hand and stood; while he turned me to face the caravan's inhabitants gathered before us.

"To those present from the staff of the Moulin Rouge home the Nebuchadnezzar, I give you…Trinity."

I felt Morpheus's smile as the music started. My head felt light and heavy, as I a great weight wanted me to shut my eyes. An odd ringing filled my ears, as I drifted off…to…

Sleep.

"Trinity! Trinity! TRINITY!"

"She's still a heavy sleeper, I told you Switch. Let me…"

"No! Apoc, the red mix's affects!"

Cold water hit my face, splashing down my shoulders to wash running red and blue swirls from my ankles and feet. Gasping, I shot off my bedroll to my feet, a knife already in my hand from its resting place under my pillow. "Apoc!" I gasped out as I saw the perpetrator put down a bucket next to an angry Switch's feet. _Somebody_ would be sleeping in their own wagon tonight.

He grinned. "You needed to get up. Morpheus wants to see you- he has a hangover from last night."

I laughed at that, and then stopped. Why didn't I remember last night? I kept my face cool and nodded. "I'll need a package of dried herbs numéro catre, and a glass of boiled water with sugar dissolved in it." I pulled on a dry skirt and blouse and headed off towards the grand wagon. My stomach kept butterflies as I picked up my pace- even though I had made a hangover cure thousands of times, this was my first time doing the simple chore as Morpheus's personal guard and healer- I couldn't help feeling as if it was a test.

My own head still felt slightly woozy, and it worried me I couldn't remember anything from the night before. "You know, it's natural you don't remember last night. That red drink is supposed to knock you out…you aren't, erm, allowed to partake in your acceptance celebration." It seemed Switch had finally caught up with me.

"Oh? Thanks Switch." The older girl smiled as I gave her a hug (a rare thing for me, in case you hadn't guessed) and entered Morpheus's sleeping wagon.

That first task took less than half an hour to complete, and was by far the easiest task I faced that first year. I never passed whatever test Morpheus set for me, or so I thought. It turned out I already had, but that even tests for the truth took time. Oh, excuse me-I'm getting ahead of myself.

That year was daunting, but I managed. I came to love Morpheus as the father Switch had told me I would have. I killed for him, I healed for him, and I bled for him. I watched over everyone and became Morpheus's eyes in places the caravan couldn't always go. I even (around my morals which were slowly disappearing) came to terms with the more…naturally caravan aspects of our troop. Yet even so, facing the busy bar and stage that was home was the biggest challenge I would ever face…yet I precede myself again. Please, forgive me-I'll continue.

"Monsieur, we're entering Paris."

That was my cue. I jumped from the moving cart and knocked twice on each cart that passed, then mounted my horse and rode around to the front. The moment of truth, it seemed, had arrived. I would make my final introduction; I would meet the rest of the troupe that resided at the Nebuchadnezzar in the Moulin Rouge.

As we dismounted the wagons and entered the center of the night world of Paris, I took my place at the head near Morpheus. Long dark cloak, long dark skirt and the tight-topped mark of a brothel resident of Paris (black, or course). I was dressed to kill, with a literal meaning that last year would have terrified me. In each layer, seam, and possible place in my clothing a knife, poison vial, herb packet, or other implement was hidden. So naturally, knowing this, I expected the people of the cabaret known as the Nebuchadnezzar to, run from me, I suppose. Yet when I approached the door a Morpheus's side, I found myself being introduced to "…Mouse," Morpheus smiled as Mouse's eyes traveled down and up my body, and then back down to glance at my corseted front.

"It's pleasant to meet you," I smiled tightly and stepped hard on the man's foot with my heeled boot as I offered my hand. He blinked and took the hand, kissing it.

"I'm Mouse. Follow me, Morpheus, Trinity. Morpheus, He's waiting."

I looked at Morpheus with raised eyebrows. I had no idea what they were talking about, and assumed I could add it to the list of things Morpheus kept a secret from me. As we passed through the upper rooms of the cabaret I bumped into someone.

He was tall, wearing a dark suit over pale skin. My eyes met his brown ones and there were-

sparks.

My heart pounded as I apologized and moved on. I could have sworn I saw Morpheus smiling, but as we entered what must have been His chambers, became distracted by the conversation with Mouse. "Trinity, you'll meet the woman in red tonight-she's performing."

"Who?"

"Oh, the woman in red. She is one of our most…popular with the customers. Her show is wonderful."

Morpheus coughed into his hand, and I was positive he had been laughing. Against my better judgment, I liked Mouse. He seemed genuine, though working for Morpheus he must have seen more than his share of everything possible. Yet even as we talked, I found my thoughts drifting back to the man in the corridor. Some things, I had long since found, were hard to let go of. Most of them were mysteries, but some-like Switch-were people.

"…Trinity?"

"Yes?" I turned at Morpheus's command…and suddenly, once again, I met large, brown eyes.

Sparks.

"Trinity, I would like you to meet Neo."

**number 4, in French**

**A/N: Well, that's the next chapter for you. I wasn't quite sure I was ready to bring in Neo, but I decided Trinity was ready to meet him. Are my mysteries to obvious? Are things making sense now? Please, tell me what you think. . **


	4. love

** A/N: Hey, look! An update! I just updated this a couple of days ago, but today I went back and read it and found that I had some ideas I wanted to work with. I will admit this is coming out kind of short, but the point was to be a short for Valentines Day…whoops, missed that deadline. I really hope Trinity (yes, Adrienne's identity is revealed!) doesn't seem too OOC, but I have a reason she seems so innocent. This is AU, but not reality…and I'm sure I'm being obvious, but humor me and pretend everything is still a mystery. Anyway…onwards.**

**This chapter is dedicated to Piegon, who sent me their first review on chapter three. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in the Matrix movies; I'm only borrowing them…**

Wide-Eyed Escape

_By Ragdolli_

_Sparks into Flames_

I spent two days learning the ropes of the cabaret. At my point, there was a lot left to learn in everything, but the Nebuchadnezzar needed shows to stay afloat, and I could tumble, dance, and provoke. So with that in mind, and my lack of seniority to argue, I left Morpheus to his untold work locked in his study, and went about my business preparing for my first show. I would bartend; be in the crowd were something to happen, some unknown threat to rear its head, and make small talk with the men and boys watching the stage.

Mouse was ecstatic when he found out we would be working together…or maybe it was just the fact that we were working the opening night of the Woman in Red's new show. While I loved Mouse as a brother, just like Apoc and many of the others, Mouse fit the description of "pimp" better than anyone I knew. I can't tell you why it surprised me when I first found out how sweet he was, but for some reason it did. Yet Mouse is not the focus of this tale, so back on track.

"Morpheus? Morpheus…"

"He isn't there."

I turned to find Switch leaning on the wall behind me, watching me knock on Morpheus's office door with a troubled expression. I frowned at this turn of events-I was supposed to work my first show that night, and had been looking for some new drink mixes to practice. "Why? He's been working for the past three days…Switch; he has been working, hasn't he? I'm supposed to be with him!"

I hated the questions suddenly pouring out of my mouth, but I was worried for Morpheus's safety. Assassins in Paris were often looking for him, I had been told, and all the secrecy of the Nebuchadnezzar was starting to build up.

Switch sighed and shook her head. "Calm down, Trin. He's working…just not here. Morpheus is…well, he's just missing for a few days. He and Neo had some work they needed to do."

"Neo? The man I met?" I could feel tingling starting to travel up from my toes as Switch mentioned Neo. I, however, insisted to myself I was worried for Morpheus (as I have learned to say since then: yeah, sure, in another star system).

Switch seemed to have a battle going on inside to rival one of my father's crusades. Finally, she nodded and grabbed my arm, steering me off down the hallway and back towards the practice rooms. "Neo is the One…he's also Morpheus's protégé."

"The One?" Though I refused to show it again, I was getting exceedingly sick of not understanding the titles that seemed to effect to me.

Switch sighed and shook her head, ending the conversation. That would be my first and last bit of information for a dreadfully long time. As Switch let go of my arm I looked up; we had reached the practice rooms. The woman in red was dancing her seductive swirl of arms and skirt (red, naturally) to the beat of a drum played by none other than Mouse in the corner. I looked down at my own black, floor-length skirt. Under it I could feel the knives strapped to my legs and the silver bangles on my ankles and toes. I had confidence in my skills, confidence in who I was and what I would grow into in this ethereal world of the cabaret, but something about the woman in red made me feel inadequate. No, I couldn't really blame her. Her name was Terési, and she had always been helpful in my dance practice; yet even so there was something about her I couldn't quite place that made me jealous.

With both Neo and Morpheus away, the Nebuchadnezzar was run by Morpheus's entourage and special service members. Being a part of these elite groups, I found my day filled with chores to do before the opening of the new show. While the tasks bored me to tears, they kept me from thinking about the mysteries of everything about Morpheus, and kept me from dwelling on Morpheus's protégé, who was simply an interesting person-though he didn't talk much.

"…and that's how I designed her new costume set. Hey, Trin? Have you ever had oatmeal?"

This, (considering the fact that the bar was jammed with bodies and we were both moving faster than possible to fill orders,) was an incredibly random change of topic. Mouse had been keeping me up to date on a rushing commentary of his part in the new show through drunken bar fights, betting arguments, and women…uhm…working. "What?" _Oatmeal?_ Mouse had finally filled my expectations that he belonged in an asylum, not a brothel.

"Have you ever had oatmeal?" Mouse was beginning to sound aggravated-though this was probably more at the man trying to seduce Terési than at me.

"Yes, I have had oatmeal. What does this have to do with a bar filled with men watching the final act of a cabaret show?" I was beginning to get exasperated at Mouse's ability to run everything smoothly while keeping up his apparent lack of focus.

"Well, I was just thinking…haven't you ever wondered why oatmeal always tastes like whatever you put in it? I mean, doesn't oatmeal have an oatmeal flavor? Consider this-hey!"

Switch, coming up on the other side of the bar had just smacked Mouse, interrupting his little epiphany. Mouse, however, shook his head and kept going.

"Anyway, consider this: under the rules of oatmeal I could put anything in oatmeal and it would make oatmeal taste like it. For instance wheat, or, or tuna fish."

My brain had stopped processing when Mouse had reached 'the rules of oatmeal'. The rules of oatmeal? My brain pleaded for me to stop the torture-so I did.

"ZUT! What was THAT for?"

It appeared my pitcher and Switch's had hit Mouse's head together in an attempt to stop more innocent bystanders from finding the sudden urge to get very very drunk. I shrugged and continued to serve our few remaining guests as Switch headed off to throw out the man-now drunk-still trying to seduce Terési.

When I was around five, I remember my mother taking me on a trip while my father was away so my grandmother could teach me how to sail. I don't really remember anything about that trip…just the swirling blue of the ocean, reflecting the sunlight like newly cut glass. The light stung my eyes as the salty air stung my throat, but I was mesmerized by being out on the open water. I would lean in a trace my fingers along the surface, creating little paths of shadow. On the last day in the ocean I fell in and almost drowned, scaring my grandmother thoroughly, and ending any thought of future trips together. Yet I never forgot the mesmerizing sensation of the way I felt out on that boat, in the middle of endless blue.

The Nebuchadnezzar often reminded me of that vast expanse of ocean. I went about my duties in the absence of Morpheus, leaving little Trinity-shaped shadows in the world around me. I functioned mostly as one of the head healers in the infirmary; treating endless sprains and fractures until I thought my eyes would bleed from the drudgery of it all.

That was, of course, until my eighth day at the cabaret. Cleaning up my station, I could hear Switch screaming orders and feet rushing around. Someone (it sounded like Nairobi, one of the dancers) was crying softly in the background, their voice blending with the million sounds of an emergency. And, as I had come to realize was normal, this became another mystery…there was no room on the other side of that wall. Still, I quietly put my ear against it, pressing my hand to the bookshelf. Wait. Something felt wrong.

One of the books on the shelf hadn't been there before, a book called _Alice in Wonderland_. In fact, I had never heard of the title before. Curious, I pulled the book from the self-and felt the wall begin to slide inside another section. There, on the other side, Morpheus leaned facing away from me, his foot bound and obviously broken. On a table in the center of the room lay Neo, his arm bleeding profusely. It was an odd cut, from what I could tell-circular, as if he had been punctured. Switch was rushing around finding salves and cloths, Apoc giving orders to the rest of the entourage present.

I felt my heart go out to Neo, obviously in pain but ignoring it as he spoke to Morpheus and Nairobi. Strangely, this covered up any surprise or resentment for the hidden room, all traces of those emotions leaving when Neo's eyes met mine, and there were

Sparks.

I felt myself starting to blush and looked away quickly, frowning to hide my embarrassment. He winked as I stepped out of the opening, and motioned at the book in my hand. I nodded and put it back; the empty place on the self just showing from where the wall had folded in on itself. The wall closed as suddenly as it had opened, leaving me with nothing more than a suspicious seen, an odd wound, and a nod. I shook my head and sat down on the floor, my thoughts frustratingly filled with Neo when they should have been filled with everything else.

This only continued to get worse when he and I had our first conversation. That night the bar was slower than usual, so I swapped places with Mouse-he had better things to do than sit in an almost-empty room. It seemed something wanted me to keep running in to this person that could ignite flames in my blood-Neo was Mouse's partner that night. As we sat there serving and mixing drinks for the men who had come with nothing else to do on a Sunday night, he spoke to me.

"That must have been a shock today." He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, as if unsure whether or not he wanted to approach me.

"I wasn't that surprised…I'm used to the unexplained." He seemed to nod at this, as if he felt the same way.

"What do you think of the Neb, so far?" his conversation skills seemed to be minimal, but I had to admit they were still better than mine; partially because i felt warm and bubbly every time he looked at me.

"I love it, compared to home."

"Oh? That's good. I felt the same way, at first. The ceremony, the entourage, it was all interesting."

"Really?"

"mmm-hmm," Neo nodded as he took a sip of his brandy, keeping eye contact all the while.

"Will you, I mean, would you; I mean…can you tell me what things are like here?"

I had expected him to get quiet, to not want to talk about it. Yet Neo grinned at me, his whole facing lighting up with his smile as we talked. I felt light; I felt important talking to him-as if he valued me opinion. Neo was not my brother, as many at the Neb were…talking to Neo was special. We talked a long time, through closing and past into dawn. As I began to yawn, Neo winked at me gain, grabbing my arm.

"Come one, I'll walk you back to your room."

I have to admit I expected him to try something, anything. We were, after all, living in a cabaret. But Neo didn't do anything, except give me another sheepish grin as he deposited me in front of my door. "I'm off tomorrow-the whole arm thing. Are you working?"

I felt all warm at his attention, and I couldn't explain why I felt as if I was back on the French coast, falling into the cold ocean. "Only during healers' hours."

This seemed to make his smile widen, and to my surprise he made arrangements to take me out. "You've seen nothing," he insisted "If you haven't seen the streets of Paris."

I thought to myself as I drifted off to sleep that night that this was the end-I had finally found my place away from Lyon. Yet later, as I looked back on it, I saw something else: it wasn't the end-it was merely the beginning of a new start.

The next night Neo took me walking by the Tour D'Eiffel, and we danced on the cobblestone road to the beats of the street musicians. The candles sparkled, and I felt free of the knives and equipment I usually carried not only on my body but against my heart. We danced into a new suspended reality where we were the only two, and every time I looked into his big brow eyes there were

sparks.

In the weeks that followed, every night off we had together Neo took me somewhere new. Through that month I saw not only the opera, but the Mona Lisa, the Arch De Triumph, and a million and one other things. As we sat on a bench the final night of May, Neo turned to me with the sad eyes I rarely saw when we were together. "Trinity."

I turned to him and met his eyes, the somber tone of his voice threatening to ruin our perfect cloud. "Morpheus and I are setting out on business tomorrow…I can't say how long until I return."

"What?" the cloud was gone as suddenly as it had come, and I was left sitting on a bench in the unrelenting region of Earth.

Neo simply nodded, and took my hand as we headed back inside the Nebuchadnezzar, and led me up a different set of stairs than the ones to my room. As we stopped in front of Neo's door, I turned to him in confusion. "Neo? What? I don-"

Suddenly sparks erupted into flames as warmth spread from my lips toughing his to by fingers and toes. He was kissing me, and it was more real than anything. Soon we were in his room and on his cot, my dress lost along the way along with his shirt.

I closed my eyes as the ecstasy of his embrace took over my body. It was magical, it was special, and it was love…a buzzing sound filled my head as Neo's arms disappeared. My eyes opened with incredible pain and I felt as if my body were limp and fragment; long spines of iron pulling from my body. A swirling tunnel, drowning…and a light above.

Suddenly I heard it:

"Welcome to the real world."

The red ceremonial drink had finally run its course.

**A/N: So, good? Bad? Too cliché? I worked really hard on this chapter, and tried to keep everyone as IC as possible…please humor me and let me think the plot had a twist! I can't believe I managed not to rush this part; I really wanted to get to that scene! I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I am enjoying writing it.**

**Have a good week!**


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